A Bejeweled Royal Wedding Gift, Worn by a Pair of Princesses of Wales

Designed by a British prince for his Danish princess bride, this royal necklace has gleamed on generations of Windsor women

As we wait for the Princess of Wales to return to royal engagements a few weeks from now, I’m taking a closer look today at a gala jewel I’d like to see her wear again: Queen Alexandra’s lovely diamond and pearl wedding necklace.

In March 1863, more than a century and a half ago, Britons were waiting for their first glimpse of the young woman who would one day be their queen. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who had accepted a proposal from the Prince of Wales in Belgium a year earlier, was slowly making her way from her native Copenhagen to England for her upcoming royal wedding. News from the royal family had been desperately sad for so long. The death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s beloved husband, had cast an enormous shadow over the royal world. More than a year after the prince’s passing, the royal court was still officially in mourning. The prospect of a royal wedding was a ray of sunshine amid the gloom, providing a boost to morale inside Britain’s palaces and its everyday homes. Though she hadn’t even stepped foot on British soil yet, Princess Alexandra was quickly becoming an enormous celebrity.